In the best coaching conversations, we begin with a simple but powerful idea: teachers are professionals. They deserve to be treated as such, and that means honoring their voice, their insights, and their expertise. Coaching isn’t about fixing people. It’s about walking beside them, learning with them, and helping them find clarity so they can move closer to the professional goals they care about.
One of the most powerful moments in that journey happens just after a classroom observation. That’s when coaches and teachers sit down to look at what actually happened during the lesson—not to judge it, but to explore it. This process is what we call collaborative data exploration, and it’s one of the most meaningful parts of a coaching cycle.
Here’s how it works.
Shortly after the lesson, the coach and teacher meet to look at data—notes, video clips, or tallies—gathered during the observation. But this meeting isn’t a download of expert advice. It’s a conversation grounded in partnership. The coach doesn’t tell the teacher what to think. Instead, they offer data with humility and curiosity, creating space for the teacher to reflect, interpret, and decide on next steps.
This is what distinguishes coaching from top-down feedback. When feedback is delivered in a directive way—when someone tells you what you did wrong and how to fix it—it might produce short-term compliance, but it rarely leads to lasting growth. Worse, it can shut down reflection and erode trust.
Coaching, at its best, is different. It’s about dialogue, not directives. It’s about thinking with someone, not thinking for them. And when we explore data together, we’re not searching for the “right” answer—we’re looking for understanding. We’re identifying patterns, surfacing questions, and clarifying what’s working and what might be worth changing.
We’ve seen over and over again that when teachers are invited into this kind of reflective conversation—when they feel safe, respected, and heard—they’re more likely to embrace real, lasting improvement. And that’s the goal. Not compliance. Not performance. Growth.
So the next time you sit down after a lesson, remember: the data isn’t the point. The partnership is. The data just gives us a reason to talk, to think, and to learn—together.
To learn more about “A Collaborative Exploration of Data” tune into Episode 117 of the Coaching Conversations podcast.
You can also read more in Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction.
